The beauty of avocados – on your plate and your face

An abundance of Aussie avocados is making the nutrient-rich fruit cheap and easy to buy. Here’s how best to enjoy them – and not just on your dinner plate.

With more than 124,000 tonnes of avocados tipped to be produced this year, Australian farmers have dubbed the bumper yield an avo-lanche.

With more avocados than we know what to do with, the hearty avo can make a tasty, nutritious addition to you meal, as well as a secret weapon in your beauty routine.

What makes avocados so healthy?

The beloved avocado is a nutritional powerhouse, according to dietitian and spokesperson for Dietitians Australia, Milly Smith.

“Avocados contain a wide variety of nutrients, notably they are high in healthy monounsaturated fats, fibre, vitamin c, vitamin E, potassium and folate,” Milly says.

“Regular intake of healthy fats, like those in avocado, have been shown to benefit heart health, cholesterol, blood sugar levels, our skin health and even our mood.

“The fibre content of avocado is also great for our gut health and can help with keeping our bowels regular.”

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Great meal ideas with avocados

We’re all familiar with smashed avo on toast, there are myriad creative ways to use an avocado.

Did you know you can use it as an alternative to icing, turn it into hummus, or serve it as a dip or pesto?

An additional up-side of eating avocado is it helps with satiety.

“Avocados are high in dietary fibre and healthy fats which can help promote fullness and keep us fuller longer,” Milly says.

“In main meals, it is suggested to include 1-2 thumb sized amounts of healthy fats,”

“This would look like approximately 1/4 to 1/3 of an avocado,” dietitian and director of Verde Nutrition Co, Chloe McLeod, says.

Some of Chloe’s suggestions for serving avo include:

• Add a couple slices into your morning smoothie.
• Make a breaky wrap with avocado, egg, tomato, rocket with a wholegrain or wholemeal wrap.
• Guacamole! This can make for a super fresh and nutritious snack or side to a meal. Try adding diced red onion, a little crushed garlic, some coriander, chopped tomatoes, a sprinkle of cumin and turmeric, and a squeeze of lime.
• Blend it up to make a smooth and creamy salad dressing, or in place of mayonnaise.
• Slice or chop into cubes and top your salads, mexi bowls, tacos, chicken…anything.
• Spread some on your wrap, roll or sandwich in place of margarine or butter.
• Enjoy it as a small side on your plate. You could try experimenting with a little extra flavour with lemon juice, salt and pepper, smoked paprika, fresh parsley or coriander.

How to use avocado in your beauty routine

“Avocados can benefit the skin both topically and from within,” Chloe says.

“Both internally and externally, the fat content of avocados makes it super moisturising for skin cells which promotes plump, hydrated skin and can help minimise the appearance of fine lines and redness.”

Given their abundance at the moment indulging in an avocado beauty treatment is a cost effective way to enjoy a spa experience at home.

Just be sure to do a patch test first in case your skin reacts.

Why not try a simple one ingredient avocado face mask?

Simply smear ½ an avocado on your face, leave it on for around 10-20 minutes and rinse it off.

You could also create a scrub but mixing a teaspoon of mashed avocado, 2 teaspoons of oats and ½ a teaspoon of honey.

Apply to the face and gently massage for a few minutes.

Glowing skin coming right up!

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Written by Tania Gomez